


Push

by rudbeckia



Series: Random Worlds [35]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 22:37:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12714225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: They’re just flatmates and they both haverulesabout this sort of thing. So how will Ben and Armitage react when they wake up in the same bed?Set - a few days after the previous fic in the series.





	Push

Armitage was confused. It was dark and warm and comfortable, at least, and he felt the morning fog drift away slowly.  
_New flat. Not used to this bed yet. What time is it? Ugh what day is it?_  
He shifted and a warm mass beside him shifted too. Armitage woke fully, alert and with memories rushing back. He slipped out of Ben’s bed as quietly as he could, softly cursed his reflection in the bathroom mirror then went to his own bed.

Ben shifted into the warm hollow left by Armitage and sighed. It wasn’t time to wake up yet and soon he was breathing evenly with his arm thrown around the pillow he’d semi-consciously pulled into place against his chest.

Armitage lay awake. It had been so easy, so natural. The previous evening, Saturday long after useful study time was over. Ben had rented a film and asked Armitage if he wanted to watch it with him. Armitage said yes and offered to share the bottle of cheap red Mitaka had bought him as a thank you for helping him with physics. Ben had set up his laptop on the small table beside his bed and they had lounged together on Ben’s bed with Ben’s quilt folded to make a cushion against the cold of the wall, Armitage in his pyjamas and Ben in a teeshirt and boxers, wine in mismatched glasses.

 _We can do this,_ Armitage had reassured himself. _It’s normal. We’re flatmates. Flatmates do this sort of thing all the time._

He closed his eyes and smiled at the memory of Ben’s arm warm and solid against his own. His shoulders still hurt a little from weights a few days ago. They’d joked about being home alone on Saturday night, but there was nowhere else Armitage particularly wanted to be. Ben had yawned and Armitage had apologised and got up, said he’d go, but Ben had said stay, it’s okay. Ben had paused the film, lain down near the wall and patted the space in front of him. Watch the rest of the film with me, he’d said. It felt like the most ordinary thing to shrug and lie down, head on Ben’s pillow, half watching the film and half thinking about Ben’s arm resting on his. It felt secure and he had leaned back a little. There wasn’t really any other way they could have lain and been comfortable, was there?

He’d fallen asleep. It wasn’t even as if he could blame the wine: they’d only got through half the bottle. Ben must have fallen asleep too without realising he still shared his bed with his flatmate. Armitage decided it wasn’t something they ever had to mention again. If Ben brought it up, he could laugh it off as... as... as what? As no big deal. As something _flatmates_ do. With that thought to calm his fretting nerves, Armitage fell asleep again.

Ben woke up and frowned at the pillow he was hugging to his chest. It smelled nice, like rosemary and... with a groan he identified Hux’s shampoo. He put the pillow back carefully, Hux-side down, and got up to go to the gym.

 

“You slept with him yet?”  
“What? No!” Ben glared at Phasma’s grin. She laughed.  
“Heard you were training together last week. That means it’s serious,” said Phasma with a knowing smile.  
“He’s not my type.” Ben added weight to the barbell and spun the lock. “He’s just my flatmate. Help me out here?”  
Phasma took up position at the head of the bench and guided Ben through his first set.  
“‘Tak says he looks devastating in lycra leggings and a crop top,” said Phasma as the barbell crashed down onto its rack after the last of Ben’s reps.  
“Shut up,” suggested Ben.  
“You went to Zumba with him.”  
“Only to prove it’s shit exercise,” retorted Ben.  
“And?”  
“And I ached for two days afterwards.” Ben sat up and shook his head, leaned closer to Phasma and added in a loud whisper, ”so I take it back. The way he moves is virtually pornographic. I think he caught me staring at his ass but he hasn’t said anything.”  
Phasma smirked and leaned in to Ben’s ear. “So, why haven’t you slept with him yet?”  
“Phas! He’s my _flatmate._ I have _rules._ Besides he’s not... Okay. Last night. We watched a movie and he fell asleep in my bed.”  
Phasma stepped back and covered her grin with both hands. “Oh. My. Go-o-o-od!” She slapped Ben’s arm. “You sneaky bastard! So what happened?”  
“Nothing! We were watching a film. He fell asleep. I didn’t want to wake him so I just... let him sleep.”  
“And you... you slept on the sofa I suppose?” asked Phasma. “Because you’re flatmates and you have rules and he’s not your type?”  
“Yeah,” lied Ben, “so that’s the end of that story.”  
Ben stayed longer than usual in the gym but made sure he was out by eleven when the scheduled classes began. He showered and changed then went out shopping with Phasma. If they timed it right, they’d catch the discounted short-dated goods.

 

“I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything,” reassured Mitaka after inviting his ex-flatmate over for breakfast and passing him another mug of coffee. Thanisson nodded and agreed.  
“Doph and I slept together a few times before anything actually happened,” he said with a cheerful grin as Mitaka glared and shook his head. “And then when something _did_ happen it wasn’t in bed but— OWW! Do-o-oph!”  
“But that means he might think something _will_ happen!” wailed Armitage. “And it can’t! It would be a disaster! I don’t want to have to look for a new flatmate and a new flat.”  
“You’re making a huge fuss over nothing,” said Mitaka. “So you fell asleep watching a film in his room. Big deal. I bet he hasn’t given it a second thought.”  
“Ugh you’re right,” said Armitage although the thought made his gut twist. “I’m overreacting.”  
Armitage finished his coffee, ate his toast, watched vacuous TV for a while then begged a lift to the supermarket.

Ben saw Armitage first and tried to steer Phasma away. Phasma saw Mitaka and called out a hello that half the shop must have heard over the nineties music, edgy in its time but now relegated to the status of _familiar tunes to pacify shoppers._ Mitaka grinned and grabbed Armitage by the elbow, propelling him down the fresh meat aisle.  
“Phas! You know Hux? My ex-flatmate and occasional physics tutor?”  
“Not really,” said Phasma with a smirk. “But I’ve heard a lot about you recently. ‘Tak, this is Ben. He lifts.”  
Mitaka looked at Ben’s arms and nodded. “So I have heard.”  
Thanisson took Hux’s shopping basket and emptied it into the small trolley he’d been pushing. He handed Mitaka Hux’s basket then smiled at Ben.  
“Since you two are flatmates, you should do the grocery shop together. Get bulk packs and share stuff. Right, Doph?”  
Mitaka laughed and nodded. Phasma saluted and all three walked away. Ben and Armitage looked at one another for a few seconds. Ben sighed first. “It does make sense.”  
‘I suppose it does,” said Armitage. “But we need to start over from the entrance. Mitaka made me miss out a couple of aisles.”  
“What?”  
“I have a route.”  
“You... you’re serious.” Ben almost laughed but saw Armitage’s expression and pointed at the trolley. “Sure. Want me to push?”


End file.
